A pond in the border area, alleged to contain toxic chemicals sprayed by aircraft during the recent clashes. The sign warns ‘Do Not Bathe. Toxins’. - CHRAC via PPP/ANN
PHNOM PENH: An alliance of Cambodian civil society organisations and other specialists have found strong indications of the presence of toxic chemicals used during the Cambodia–Thailand border conflict, which now pose a serious threat to human health and the environment in border communities.
A rapid four-day assessment carried out jointly by eight organisations with provincial partners and stakeholders gathered consistent information regarding allegations of the use of toxic smoke/chemical substances and related symptoms during recent clashes along the Cambodia–Thailand border. These chemicals have heightened serious concerns about both short- and long-term impacts on local communities and the environment and require immediate and sustained responses, they said.
